Another of Malu's Challenges. (Why (not) travel?)

Member Name: mattydalton

Product:	Why (not) travel?
Date:	23/01/04 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The chance to relax!, The chance to get trolleyed!, A change of scenery

Disadvantages: It cost too bloody much, I may get mistaken for an international super-spy if i go abroad too often!!

I think I have become addicted to Malu?s challenges at the moment. Although maybe a bit late, I thought I would post my answers nevertheless. Please feel free to leave comments regarding other Malu challenges, as I seem really interested at the moment.

Q: How many times a year do you travel?

A: To be honest, I don?t really travel at all at the moment. My last holiday was nearly two years ago. Since moving out of my parents, I just don?t seem to have any money anymore, despite working crazy amounts of hours. When I lived with my parents I used to get away twice a year normally.

Q: For how long do you go away?

A: Most of my holidays have been two week holidays, although I have been away for just a week now and then. Given the opportunity though, I would love to spend a long weekend in Amsterdam.

Q: Do you stay in your home country or do you go abroad?

A: I have only ever been abroad once (and no it wasn?t Wales). I went to Majorca in October 1998 for a week. It was my first and, so far, only holiday without my parents. I went with my best mate and I was 18 at the time. It was a really enjoyable experience, but I run out of money after three days after spending it all on booze!!

The majority of my other holidays have been in a small town called Dawlish in Devon. I have been there about a dozen times and it is a really lovely place. The beach is reasonably good, and there is thriving tourist activity here. There are countless attractions nearby, such as black swans in the town centre, a model village, underground caverns and countless pubs scattered about. It is a small place but when I was a teenager it was a great place to go in the holidays, as it was a real family resort with loads of similar aged people about to meet up with.

Q: Do you organise your holidays yourself or do you go to a travel agency?

A: The next time I go on holiday I think I will trawl through the countless interne
t sites available, as well as visiting all the high street travel agents in search of a great deal.

In the past I booked the holiday to Majorca through Going Places, and all the family holidays were booked direct with the campsites we visited.

Q: Do you prepare your holidays in advance by reading guide books and studying maps?

A: I like surprises so rarely read up on prospective destinations. I like to discover things for myself when I get there. It adds to the excitement of the holiday. I should really read up on where I am going as I would know the best places to go for all sorts of reasons, whether it be nightlife, sightseeing, the best beaches or the best places to eat. Still, it wouldn?t be as spontaneous then, would it?

Q: Do you travel alone/with family or friends/with an organised group?

A: I have never travelled alone and I am not so sure I would enjoy travelling in this manner. As I have said above, the majority of my holidays have been with family, along with one holiday abroad with my best friend. I have enjoyed all my holidays, but my choice now would be to holiday with either my friends or my brothers (we get on really well mostly).

Q: Do you prefer the sea / mountains / plains / cities as destinations?

A: I suppose it depends on the state of my mind at the time of the holiday. If I am particularly stressed then I prefer to visit a sea resort. I can lie on the beach for as long as I like with not a care in the world. If I was travelling with the right sort of person I guess I would consider mountaineering, although not my first choice. I see holidays as a time to relax and big cities don?t do that for me. There is too much hustle and bustle and everyday stress about for my liking.

Q: Do you mainly relax or are you an active holidayer?

A: I mainly relax to be honest. I get quite stressed with work sometimes, so I like to just relax really. The odd day trip to somewhere
thrown into the mix adds a bit of interest to the holiday rather than just a sea, sand and drink-fest.

Q: If you go abroad do you learn at least some words of the foreign language?

A: No, do I buggery. If they wanted me to learn their language they would ignore me when I spoke English, or would pretend they can?t speak English. England, to me, is a very selfish country tourism-wise, as we go to other peoples? countries and treat them like waste ground. We cause trouble regularly, and are always ignoring local laws or traditions. I reckon the majority of us can?t speak any of their languages. However, when foreigners come here, we expect them to speak our language. I guess that is a bit ignorant, but that?s how we are.

Q: Are you interested in the cuisine of a foreign country?

A: It depends on the cuisine I guess. If I visited Japan I would try a few dishes, but as for the weird stuff, no thanks. I don?t take an active interest in foreign cuisine but would be tempted to try some of them if I visited certain countries.

Q: Which means of transportation do you prefer?

A: Plane, definitely. There is too much traffic on the roads these days to consider a car as my preferred method of transport. If there was sufficient road space, and no speed limits, it may be fun to travel by car, but there are too many restrictions. Trains and buses are generally poor services, often over crowded and just as often late. At least with a plane you feel fairly confident that you will be looked after properly, and you are in a clean environment. Also, if you like speed, you get the chance to travel much faster than you could in any car.

Q: What kind of luggage do you take with you? Have you got problems packing? Do you tend to take too many / too few things with you?

A: I only really take clothes, along with my toiletries of course. Most places you can buy the stuff you need when you get there. Also, you never know
what you will end up doing and therefore I don?t really plan anything until I get there. I travel reasonably lightly when holidaying. After all, I?m trying to relax, and I couldn?t be arsed with worrying about something so silly as packing.

Q: Do you send picture postcards to your family and friends?

A: Never. I don?t see the point. They are barely big enough to say hello on. And anyway, I will be telling them all about it when I get home! Another thing, that?s valuable drinking money they?re asking me to waste on silly pieces of card, which tell you very little, and extortionate prices for postage. If I feel the need to tell them something, I can always ring.

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